I have one word for ‘ancient Japanese wisdom’: Bull

IF YOU’RE looking for a last-minute stocking stuffer this Christmas, it’s tempting to turn to the self-help section of the bookshop – perhaps the increasing number of tomes claiming to impart ancient pearls of Japanese wisdom.

In the last decade, such books have proliferated, claiming to teach you the Japanese secret to everything: Eat less, save money, be more productive. Ikigai, wabi-sabi or shinrin yoku will fix what’s wrong with your life.

They tend to follow a similar pattern: a word you might not be familiar with at first, with a title that hints at hidden knowledge, the idea that the Japanese are tapped into some timeworn understanding about things modern Western society – too rushed, too online, too whatever – has forgotten.